The “How’d You Hear” Card, Tally Sheet, and Tracking Guide

The cheapest, most useful attribution tool in the book, plus a plain guide to promo codes, QR codes, and tracked links.

Chapter 24 argued that asking is the best way to learn how first-timers found you. Below is a card you can print, a tally sheet for counting the answers, and a guide to three simple tracking tools. None needs special software.

THE CARD

PRINT AND CUT, HOW’D YOU HEAR ABOUT US

Welcome! Is this your first time here? ☐ Yes ☐ No

How did you hear about us? (Check the one that mattered most.)

☐ A friend or family member told me ☐ I saw a post or video online ☐ I searched or saw us on a map

☐ I walked or drove by ☐ A poster, flyer, or sign ☐ An article, radio, or event listing

☐ A band, teacher, or bartender ☐ Other: ______________________

Who told you? (Optional) ______________________ Email or number if you’d like to hear from us (Optional): ______________________

We only use your contact details if you give them to us, and only to send what you agreed to. You can stop at any time.

Notes on the card: keep it to one tick and one optional line. Train the door person or host to hand it over with a smile, not a clipboard. Never require a name. If you collect an email or number, the line above it must say what you will send, and Chapter 35 and Appendix J cover your duties. Adjust the choices to your room, but keep an “Other” box and keep the friend option first, so you can see how large word of mouth really is in your room.

TALLY SHEET

One row per night or per week. Count the cards. Add up the sources. Totals must match the first-timer count.

Fill in: Room or program, Month.

Columns to fill in: Date, First-timers, Friend, Online post, Search / map, Walk-by, Poster / sign, Press / listing, Other / unsure. Copy as many rows as you need.

Share of first-timers by source = source count ÷ first-timers. Example: 21 friends ÷ 42 first-timers = 50%. Guests often name only one of several things that moved them, so read the shares as a guide.

A PLAIN GUIDE TO THREE TRACKING TOOLS

Promo codes. A promo code is a word or phrase attached to one effort, such as “DOGHOUSE” on a poster or a podcast mention. A guest says it at the door or at the bar, or types it online, and you tally it. Use a different code for each effort, keep codes short and easy to say, and record where each lives. The weakness is that only guests who remember the code are counted, so the count is a minimum. It works best when the code earns something small, such as a free first lesson, within the alcohol rules in Appendix J.

QR codes. A QR code is a square that a phone camera turns into a web address. Point each code at a simple page, and make a different code for each poster or placement so you know which one was scanned. Many free generators exist, but terms differ, and some codes are tied to a paid plan and stop working if it ends. Prefer a code that points directly at your own page, and test it from a phone before you print. Scans tell you that someone looked, not that someone came, so pair them with the card.

Tracked links. A tracked link is a normal web address with a short tag added to the end, such as ?utm_source=poster&utm_medium=qr. These tags are a long-standing convention that analytics tools understand, so your website’s reports can show which tagged link brought each visit. Make one link for each placement, keep a list of what each tag means, and use the same spelling every time. Tracked links show visits to a page, not guests at the door. Be careful when tagging links to personal pages, and never put a guest’s name or contact details in a link.

WHICH TO USE

Use the card first. It counts the people who came. Add one promo code for a campaign you want to isolate. Add QR codes and tracked links only where you want to know about the online step. Review all three together in the monthly page from Chapter 34.